Rewiring '77 KZ650

So, first off, yes I am new here. (parade wave) Anyways, I acquired my current '77 KZ650 from my father who one day decided that he was too old for his "toy" and now it's somewhat of an heirloom (to me anyways). Now according to many people I have spoken with about these particular bikes, they have wiring issues that stem from an occasional fire?! (rhetorical statement)
As I have just started to delve into the details regarding its condition, I have decided that creating a wiring harness from scratch may be my best bet. I'm by far a novice when it comes to any sort of wiring (My father has owned his own electrical business for almost 20 years and I have installed countless car stereos, seat heaters, televisions, etc., as well as a little work on my current KZ with my father)
Now that my back story is out there, now down to my main question, I'm in the process of locating all the original colors and sizes of wire to start my half-baked project and am wondering if anyone knows of any company or individual out there that manufactures/sells complete terminal kits for these and/or would any one have a list of all the connectors that I would need in my endeavor?
I appreciate any thoughts, ideas, experience you all have and look forward to having many more questions and problems to share with you all in the future! Thanks

Trey

p.s. I'll try my best to document with photos and such as often as I can (and remember to do so) Being a 30 year old full-time college student while being employed full-time gets to be a bit time consuming at times, so no promises!

I'd contact www.z1enterprises.com as they have contacts in Japan that might be able to get what you need, if no luck,think about appliance wiring(like from a dryer or wash machine)as the wiring has good insulation and comes with many colors & stripes.

Check with companies that scrap out these appliances.They might have some on hand, but probably turn the harness in for the copper value.

Some websites for information:

www.ripper1.com/tech/wiring.php
www.cwswiring.com/
www.gadgetjq.com/accessory_switches.htm

Welcome aboard! First, let me ease your mind; 1977 KZ650's do not catch fire due to any electrical problems. I have owned mine for 35 years and have never heard of that happening to one.

Regarding making up a new harness - do you have the correct wiring diagram for you bike? If not, let me know and I'll give you a link to one. It will show the wiring layout, wire colors, and give you a good idea of the connectors you will need. I will need to know which model you have. Is it a KZ650-C1 or KZ650-B1 (take a look at the VIN on the steering neck to be sure).

Here are a couple places for the correct connectors, although they don't sell specific kits:
www.hvccycle.com/electrical-connectors.html
vintageconnections.com/

Good luck with your project. Ed

650ed wrote: Welcome aboard! First, let me ease your mind; 1977 KZ650's do not catch fire due to any electrical problems. I have owned mine for 35 years and have never heard of that happening to one.

Regarding making up a new harness - do you have the correct wiring diagram for you bike? If not, let me know and I'll give you a link to one. It will show the wiring layout, wire colors, and give you a good idea of the connectors you will need. I will need to know which model you have. Is it a KZ650-C1 or KZ650-B1 (take a look at the VIN on the steering neck to be sure).

Here are a couple places for the correct connectors, although they don't sell specific kits:
www.hvccycle.com/electrical-connectors.html
vintageconnections.com/

Good luck with your project. Ed

It's a C1. I also have a '78B as a parts bike. And it's funny that you say you've never heard of them catching fire because every one that I've seen has had some sort of fire damage or has needed the regulator/rectifies replaced due to the heat. I'm not by any means an expert on these things but that's something I've come to look for. Also, many, many main harnesses I've seen on eBay, Craigslist, swap meets, etc all show signs of either overloading the capacity of the wires gauge or are clearly charred. Just an observation of mine. Anyways, I'll definitely take a look at the above websites. As for the wiring diagram, I do have the correct one. Im positive because I've chased every single wire, connector and junction through the whole bike just to make sure.

TheThiefPrince wrote:

650ed wrote: Welcome aboard! First, let me ease your mind; 1977 KZ650's do not catch fire due to any electrical problems. I have owned mine for 35 years and have never heard of that happening to one.

Regarding making up a new harness - do you have the correct wiring diagram for you bike? If not, let me know and I'll give you a link to one. It will show the wiring layout, wire colors, and give you a good idea of the connectors you will need. I will need to know which model you have. Is it a KZ650-C1 or KZ650-B1 (take a look at the VIN on the steering neck to be sure).

Here are a couple places for the correct connectors, although they don't sell specific kits:
www.hvccycle.com/electrical-connectors.html
vintageconnections.com/

Good luck with your project. Ed

...And it's funny that you say you've never heard of them catching fire because every one that I've seen has had some sort of fire damage or has needed the regulator/rectifies replaced due to the heat.....

No offense intended, but I have a tough time believing you've seen a bunch of KZ650 bikes with actual fire damage from electrical problems. Yes, regulators, rectifiers, and combos sometimes need to be replaced, but that's not surprising considering they are 30 - 36 years old and employed old technology, but I've never heard of one catching fire. For quite a few years I've been a member of another site that focuses entirely on KZ650 bikes (kz650.info), and during that time it has had approximately 2400 members with KZ650s (new / old members come and go). I cannot recall ever seeing a posting there or on KZRIDER in which a KZ650 has caught fire due to the bike's electrical system, so I'm certain it is a very rare event.

Regarding your C1 and B2 - be aware that they have totally different charging systems, so use care in swapping any charging system components. Ed